Dr Nora Bengoa-Vergniory
Name:
Dr Nora Bengoa-Vergniory
Job title:
Principal Investigator
Place of work / study:
ABCN (Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience), University of Oxford [1]
Area of Research:
Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s
How is your work funded?
Ikerbasque, IBRO, Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation, Michael J Fox Foundation
Tell us a little about yourself:
Young PI, mom of a 2y old, main carer for 2x over 80y olds. Love science, outreach and all things brain. Ignorant to many aspects of neuroscience, impatient to rectify this situation.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself:
The power of my bad luck knows no bounds, I broke an “unbreakable microscope” minutes after it was described as such with one click.
Why did you choose to work in dementia?
Because I know what dementia looks like.
What single piece of advice would you give to an early career researcher?
- Keep at it, follow your passion and it will work out
- Your peers are your greatest allies
- You are not your data Negative data is not only data, it’s important data
- Setups are what you will base your experiments on, give them the respect and diligence they deserve
- Don’t fall in love with your hypothesis
- There’s no such thing as an “alternative” career, all careers are valid and useful
(I’m sorry I couldn’t pick one!)
What book are you reading right now? Would you recommend it?
Crucial Conversations [2], yes